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68-count indictment alleges gang with ties to Mexican Mafia collected extortionate taxes and provided security, including the use of violence, to protect the illegal gambling businesses.
One of those charged is accused of directing violent retaliation against slap (gambling) houses in the Orange County area that did not pay the gang’s extortionate “taxes.”
Two of the individuals charged are alleged to have murdered a victim at the Akua Inn, a gang-controlled motel in Anaheim.
Federal authorities announced the arrests of 43 individuals with alleged ties to the Mexican Mafia throughout Southern California early morning Thursday. Most of those charged resided in Orange County.
Charges included murder, kidnapping, running an illegal gambling operation and drug trafficking, prosecutors said.
The Mexican Mafia, a.k.a. “La Eme,” is a U.S.-based prison gang that has immense control over Hispanic street gangs in Southern California, directing illegal activities from prisons and collecting a portion of the proceeds from drug trafficking, illegal gambling, and other crimes committed on the streets.
The murder charge stems from a case involving the slaying of an individual last year at a gang-controlled Anaheim motel.
The defendants arrested this morning include:
- Jaime Alvarado, 42, a.k.a. “Junior” and “Brian Barbas,” of Lake Elsinore;
- Karina Cesena, 32, also of Lake Elsinore; and
- Mario Flores, 40, a.k.a. “Happy,” of Anaheim.
“Gang members who murder, extort, kidnap, and traffic drugs and firearms are a menace to our communities and our way of life,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Today’s arrests highlight the continuing cooperation between federal and local law enforcement against violent felons and our unyielding determination to crack down on organized crime in our prisons and our streets.”
“The defendants accused of operating their own ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ in Orange County by peddling illicit drugs and carrying out assault and murders, among other crimes, are being held accountable today,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “Orange County communities should be proud of their law enforcement professionals whose hard work and devotion to this case made the streets of Orange County safer today.”
“This type of criminal activity has a direct impact on our neighborhoods and our residents,” said Anaheim Police Chief Manny Cid. “Through strong partnerships, we will continue to identify, disrupt, and hold those responsible accountable.”
“These arrests send a clear message: Organized crime and violence will not be tolerated in Santa Ana,” said Santa Ana Police Chief Robert Rodriguez. “Through strong partnerships with local and federal counterparts, we will continue to target those who threaten the safety and well-being of our communities.”
Fifteen defendants arrested today are expected to make their initial appearances and be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana. Ten defendants arrested today are expected to make their initial appearances and be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles. Twelve additional defendants are in state custody and are expected to make their initial appearances in United States District Court in Santa Ana in the coming weeks.
Senior gang members already in state custody who are expected to make their initial appearances and be arraigned in the coming weeks include:
- Luis Cardenas, 48, a.k.a. “Gangster,” “Pops” and “Tio,” an inmate at Ironwood State Prison;
- Jose Antonio Ochoa Madrigal, 41, a.k.a. “Sparky,” of Santa Ana, who incarcerated in an Orange County jail.
According to this 66-count indictment, from June 2024 to April 2026, Cardenas oversaw the Mexican Mafia’s criminal activities in Orange County and within Orange County jail and prison facilities. Alvarado, Cesena, Madrigal, and Flores held the position of high-ranking associates for Cardenas.
From his prison cell, Cardenas used an encrypted messaging application on contraband cell phones to direct Alvarado in the operation of the Mexican Mafia’s activities in Orange County.
Cardenas directed others to kidnap and assault people in bad standing with him, and Alvarado, Cesena, and others carried out his directions. Defendants operating for the Mexican Mafia shot at and assaulted victims.
In regard to the illegal gambling businesses, the gang is alleged to have run these operations within commercial strip malls and private residences. The gang collected extortionate taxes and provided security, including the use of violence, to protect the illegal gambling businesses.
Alvarado oversaw gang-controlled motels and, along with Cesena, directed violent retaliation against slap houses that did not pay the gang’s extortionate “taxes.”
It is alleged in the indictment that, on February 3, 2025, Matthew Kundrat, 29, a.k.a. “Bubba,” of Anaheim, and Manuel Ramos, 45, a.k.a. “Rhino,” of Santa Ana, murdered a victim at the Akua Inn, a gang-controlled motel in Anaheim. Kundrat and Ramos committed the murder for the purpose of gaining entrance to the Mexican Mafia and increasing their standing in the criminal enterprise.
Both Kundrat and Ramos are charged with committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity and, if convicted, would face a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison and would be eligible for the death penalty.
On March 14, 2025, Cardenas, Alvarado, Flores, and Cesena directed the kidnapping and assault of a victim who was an employee at a Cardenas-controlled slap house in Stanton. The penalty for kidnapping is life in federal prison.
The gang also sold narcotics – including fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine – via slap houses (illegal gambling houses), gangs, and drug dealers in Orange County.
Law enforcement also seized four kilograms (8.8 pounds) of fentanyl, 54.4 kilograms (120 pounds) of methamphetamine, 0.9 kilogram (two pounds) of heroin, three kilograms (6.6 pounds) of cocaine, 25 firearms, and more than $30,000 in cash.
“When criminal organizations attempt to hide their profits behind violence, intimidation, and complex cash-based networks, IRS Criminal Investigation will uncover the truth,” said Darren Lian, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Our agents followed the money through drug trafficking revenues, extortion schemes, and illegal gambling operations that fueled this enterprise’s power. By tracing and dismantling these financial pipelines, we cut directly into the organization’s ability to operate. IRS CI remains committed to protecting our communities by attacking the financial infrastructure that supports organized crime, no matter how deeply it is embedded.”
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
